Optical printing apparatus



H. @WVEN arch 9 19340 NTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l (Jriginal Filed.July 9, 1930 DDDDDQDQDQDQDDG INVENTOR. fieMMA/v OWf/VS'. 7 ir ATRNEYMarch 6 193 9 4a H. @WENs I ZLQSQQQZZ OPTICL PRINTING! APPARATUSOriginal Filed July 9, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flea/ mm hf Ola[#5.

A NE 1.

Patented Mal-.16, 1934- uu rso srArus QPTICAl J PRINTING- APPARATUfiFreeman Ho Owens, New Yorlr, ill. ii, assignor to Owens Development@orporation, New York, 1N.Y., a corporation of New il'orlr 7 Applicationonly o}, rose, Serial no. scares Renewed August 2, i933 This inventionrelates to improvements optical printing apparatus, the principal objectof the invention being to provide a device of this character which isparticularly adapted ior h printing on a positive film during a singlerun oi said film through the apparatus, the picture i ages and anappropriate sound record from a negative film carrying said images andrecord.

A further object oi the invention is to provide,

it in an apparatus of the character set liorth,

means for lengthening the path oi travel of the positive film ascompared with t oi the nega tive film between the printing stations iorthe picture images and sound records respectively.

it? Ordinarily, when a negative slim hearing picso proximately iourteenand a inch-es irons the corresponding picture images. The in vention,therefore, contemplates the provision oi means for compensating fordifierence hetween the relative positions oi the picture so images andsound record on the negative film and the desired relative positions onthe positive film.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as thedescription proceeds.

in the drawings accompanying this speciiica 315 tion,

Figure l. is a sectional front view of an ap-= paratus embodying thefeatures oi the present in-= vention, with parts lcroken away;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic, partly sectional 40 side view of theapparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the picture printing unit of theapparatus.

Figure 4 is a sectional plan view of the sound printing unit; and

i5 Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method ofcompensating for the difference in the lengths of the respective pathsthrough which the positive and negative films are to travel between thepicture printing station and 50 the sound record printing station.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a frame or housing, in which apair oi shafts 2 and 3 are mounted. for rotation at points respectivelynear the upper and lower ends of the 301013521 each 55 ct said shaftshaving secured thereon outside oi the housing a gear, and 5respectively, said gears being in mesh with a gear 13 secured to adriving shaft 7 which has a bearing in the Wall of the housing at apoint intermediate the shafts 2 and 3. Motion in the same direction willthus he imparted by the shaft '3 to the shafts 2 and The shaft 2 hassecured thereto near its oppo site-ends a pair of sprockets 8 and 9,while the 3 has secured thereto a pair of sprockets lo and ii invertical alignment respectively with said sprockets 8 and 9. Thesprockets El and to are adapted to engage a negative film l2 and causethe same to travel through the apparatus, the sprockets 9 and ii toengage positive film it for the same purpose. As indicated Figures 1 and2, however, the films l2 and i3 engage their respective sprockets atdiametrically o posits sides oi the sprockets so that the films travelin opposite directions. Associated sion of a spring, not shown, retainsthe film in engagement with its sprockets.

Supported in the housing at points immediatelv below the sprockets 8 and9 respectively are a pair of gates 15 and 16, through which therespective films l2 and 13 are led in their passage irom one sprocket toanother. The gate 16 forms the printing station for the picture images,while the gate 15, through which the negative film passes, provides anexposure point at which light from a printing lamp 1'? passes throughthe picture portion of said film, a suitable diffusing screen or glassit being disposed between the lamp and said gate 15. in alignment withthe gate 15 and lamp l? is mounted a prism l9 of such form and sodisposed as to deflect the illuminated image which it receives from thelamp into a path generally at right angles to the path of the imagebetween the negative film and said prism 19. in alignment with the gate16 is mounted a econd prism so directly opposite the prism 19 and soformed and disposed as to receive the image from said prism 19 and againdeflect it into a path at right angles to the path oi/reception, wherebysaid image will be impressed upon thepositive film as it passes theprinting station in the gate 16. Between the prisms l9 and 20 is mountedsuitable lens 21 for focusing the image from the prism 19 on to theprism 20.

The soimd record printing unit is preferably mounted on a standard 22secured at its lower to the of the housing 1. The unit is carried 7 p57a sleeve 23 mounted for sliding movement on standard provided with oclampmg screw Mil.

24 for securing it at any desired height on the standard. Attached tothe sleeve 23 is a U- shaped tube or housing 25, which carries at itsopposite ends a pair of film gates 26 and 27 disposed off center withrelation to the legs 25a of said tubular housing whereby said legs willbe centered on the sound record portions of the films 12 and 13 as theypass through the respective gates 26 and 27. Within the housing 25, ateach of the angles formed by the intersection of the housing and itslegs is mounted a prism, 28 and 29 respectively, both of said prismsbeing of such form and so disposed that light received by them will bedeflected to a path at'right angles to the path of reception. Mountedwithin the housing 25 is a suitable lens 30 for focusing light from theprism 28 on the prism 29. That leg of the housing which carries the gate26 extends beyond said gate into communication with a lamp housing 31within which is mounted a printing lamp 32, a diffusing screen or glass33 being disposed in the end of the tube between said lamp and the gate26. For providing adequate support for the lamp and its housing, abracket or arm 34 extends out from the sleeve 23 to a point below thelamp housing.

Means is provided herein for compensating for the difierent relativepositions of the picture images and sound record on the negative andpositive films respectively. This means comprises an idler roller 35disposed in the path of the positive film during its passage from thepicture printing gate 16 to the sound record printing gate 27, the filmbeing caused to pass out of its straight course and over said roller 35,as shown most clearly in Figure 2, a pair of guide rollers 36 beingprovided for maintaining the film in proper position before and afterits passage over the roller 35. The diameter of this roller is such asto carry the film 011' its course sufiiciently to take up the differencebetween the relative positions of the picture and sound records on thenegative film and the desired relative positions on the positive film,as hereinbefore explained.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: A negative film carryingthe usual frames of picture images and an appropriate sound recorddisposed in parallel relation with the picture images, is threadedupward over the sprocket 10, through the gates 26 and 15 and over thesprocket 8, while a sensitized film is threaded'downward over thesprocket 9, through the gate 16, over the roller 35, through gate 27 andover sprocket 11. The driving shaft 7 is then caused to rotate so as toimpart motion to the sprockets 8, 9, 10 and 11, and owing to the factthat the films engage their respective sprockets at diametricallyopposite points the films will be caused to travel in oppositedirections, as hereinbefore stated. As soon as the films have arrived attheir proper relative positions, the printing lamps arevset intooperation, whereupon the picture images will be transferred to thepositive film at the printing gate 16, while the sound record will betransferred to said film at the printing gate 27, and by reason of theprovision of the roller 35 the path of the positive film is lengthenedbetween the printing stations so that the picture images and the soundrecord on said positive film will occupy the proper relative positionsfor reproduction by the usual projector.

I claim:

1. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination, a housing,a pair of shafts mounted for rotation in parallel relation insaid-housing, means for rotating said shafts in the same direction,means carried by said shafts for engaging a picture and sound recordfilm and a sensitized film and moving said films in opposite directions,a picture projecting station and a sound record projecting stationin thepath of said first named film, a picture printing station and soundrecord printing station in the path of said sensitized, film, means fordirecting light from said project ing stations to said printing stationsrespectively, and fixed means between said printing stations for guidingthe sensitized film out of its normal path thereby to increase thelength of said film relatively to that of the first named film betweenits stations.

2. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination, a housing,a pair of shafts mounted'for rotation in parallel relation in saidhousing, means for rotating said shafts in the same direction, meanscarried by said shafts for engaging a picture and sound record film-anda sensitized film and moving said films in opposite directions, apicture projecting station and a sound record projecting station in thepath oi said first named film, a picture printing station and a soundrecord printing station in the path of said sensitized film, said soundrecord projecting and printing stations being adjustable relative tosaid picture projecting and printing stations, means for directing li htfrom said projecting stations to said printing stations respectively,and means between said printing stations for guiding the sensitized filmout of its normal path thereby to increase the length of said film [l0relatively to that of the first named film between its stations.

3. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination, a pair ofprojecting stations disposed in vertical alignment and a pair of print-I and means between said projecting stations and printing stations forreceiving the projected light and deflecting the same to the respectiveprinting stations.

4. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination a pair ofprojecting stations disposed in vertical alignment and a pair ofprinting stations disposed in vertical alignment with each other andhorizontally parallel with said projecting stations respectively, meansfor moving a film carrying picture images and a sound record past saidprojecting stations, means for moving a sensitized film past saidprinting stations, means for projecting light through the picture imageportion of the first named film as it passes one of said projectingstations and, through the sound record portion as it passes the otherprojecting station, means between said projecting.

length of the first named between its pro== jecting stations.

5. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination, a housing,a pair of shafts mounted for rotation in parallel relation in saidhousing, means for rotating said shafts in the same di= rection, a pairof sprockets carried by each of said shafts, one sprocket of each pairbeing adapted to engaging a picture and sound record film and the othersprocket of each pair adapted to engage a sensitized film at a point onsaid sprockets dia-= metrically opposite from the first named filmthereby to move said films in opposite directions, a picture projectingstation and a sound record projecting station in the path of said firstnamed film, a picture printing station, and a sound record printingstation in the path of said sensi tized film, means for directing lightfrom said projecting stations to said printing stations respectively,and means between said printing stations for guiding the sensitizedfiiin out of its normal path thereby to increase the length of said filmrelatively to that of the first named film "between its stations.

6. An optical printing apparatus, comprising in combination, a housing,a pair of shafts mounted for rotation'in parallel relation in saidhousing, means for rotating said shafts in the same direction, meanscarried by said shafts for engaging picture and sound record film and asensitized film and moving said films in opposite directions, a pictureprojecting station and a sound record projecting station in the path ofsaid first named film, a picture printing station and a sound recordprinting station in the path oi said sensitized-film, means fordirecting light from said projecting stations to said printing stationsrespectively, and a guide roller disposed between printing stations,said sensitized film being adapted to pass over said roller the passageof the film from one printing station to the othe hereby to increase thelength oi" said :Fdin relativeiy to that of the first named film hetiven its stations.

"1. optical printing apparatus, a print= ing unit comprising a standard,a tubular nous= ing mounted for vertical adjustment on said standard andhaving a main portion and a pair of portions extending at an angle fromsaid main portion, a film gate carried by each of said end portions,means for supplying light to one of said gates, and deflecting membersdisposed in said housing at the intersections of the main portion withsaid end portions thereby to transmit light iroin one film gate to theother.

FREEMAN H. @WEDJS.

ioo

